Electrical connector



April 16, 1940. J Macu-:AN 2,197,000

` ELEc'rRIcAL cameron Filed nec. 29, 19258 i mashedv Apr. is, 4194e i uNlraoys'rarl-:s

Mormon-comarca Jshewldrmmwraeaaome y A, Y

.l December-.2.,

reclaman4 (ci. 244.435) ,i

" opening 'for ladmitting beappliedtoa linewireand manipulatedtoioin a tap orservice wire thereto, all'by the use oi" one hand. This capability o! one hand` 'manirmfy lation will be better appreciated when 'it is explained that frequently lineman, ,wearing heavy. cumbersome, multiple layer gloves and occupying precarious positions oni poles or in similar places, have to hold, on lwith one hand while they make connections, probably at arm's length. with the 'other hand. Another object of the invention is to Aprovide a 'relatively simple design and construction for connectors of the. kind referred to that will facilitate assembly and otherwise expedite and cheapen manufacture.

I Other objects are to 'provide a wire connector of the beforementioned character so constructed-y that, notwithstanding xpqsure to the elements, its wrlring'parts protected from.y de-l l terioraticn or; corrosion, proper voperaj tion at time in the removal orreplacement"- of taps or servicewir; and permitting repeated' use oi the" samef'connecto;"to provide 'afcon-l nestor involvingathreaded bolt-like body and a sleeve'nut operatihg'thereon that isof sui'll-l cient 1 ttthe threads or the body '1f from verfid "while-'the article is'in stock or wiil i trasported'o handled, and that will shield thei-'vn'ecti'v'e portion -oftnegthreaas' nectorfof tiiechracterjust described ,wherein said i'sslbtted longitudinally, and a jam plate, having permanent swivel connection with the nut,v slidesfwithin the body' when' the nut is operatedf d plate serving to'fprevent" inward displac'eietffjer'eonspse of the sides or the body* when thepartsare "placed Iunder strain in theV clampin'gjfwiresfthe head of the yjam plate andthe' opposdend wall-of the slot; te provide separate means onthe sleeve nut ior turning it by hand for turningfitby means of av wrench :'orf'othertoolif a`nd, further-which is of paramount importance' l'ezfzause'v it is responsible for the' self-contained or unitary character of the connector,y enabling it to befl applied and u manipulater'lv with one provide la. side g aline vwire'tothe'longi-` tudinal slot'of thebody.' Also, 'this opening' is spaceda sumcient distance from Vthe end wall of the slot against which the wire is to be clamped tolnsure a very substantial thread engagement I of the nut with the -bodyfbetween the plane of l said end wall and said opening, thereby toefrect a strong mechanical and eilicient electrical 'con-"v nection; and one that is very and lasting. 4 Other objects and advantages-will appear as l0- I proceed to describejthe invention in detail'` y by' referenceI 1to1 the yaccompanying f drawingy f wherein Fig.' 1 is aside elevationy of one torino!y theiventi'on, showing `it as clamping a tap or servicewire toy a mainline; Fl'g.;2 is a central' 1Q vertical section through the connector shown in Fig. 1, thefplane of section being at right vangles shows, in perspective, the ferrule, retaining' ring 25 and jam plate in separated condition; Fig. 7 is a side elevation yof a-modied form of the invention; and Figs; 8, 9 and 10 are sectional details, ahd'Flg. 11 a plan viewof said modiiled form.

The inventionas illustratedin' Figs. 1 to 6 is 30 intended "especially for -heavy'duty work, as in" connection t'vitl electrical 'power' systems, where'- yfore it' may lbe referred to as a lpower type of '7'to 11' is intended for lighter work; as in con- 35 l nection 'with telephone systems, and.l accordingly may be referred' toas the 4telephone" type.vv

With reference to the so-called power tmf iv is a bolt-like bo'dy havingv a head 2 lat one end and beng'thre'aded lfrom a'point' adjacent said -40 Ihead to its opposite end.A 'The headl 2 is desirably lformed toeceive 'a wrench, the same 'beingv 'shown'v as hexagonal in plan, and a diametrical. yslot 4 extendsl longitudinally of/'the bodyfrom the region ofthe head to near itsopposite end. 45

A rectangular'passageway 5 opens from said slot through thelatter end' of the body, leaving parts G/tc tiey the sides of the body together' at opposite ends of 'the 4passageway l. An opening-8 formedl in one side of thebody n'ear the end 50' v thereofl'remote from the head 2 provides access to the slot-I for the line wire designated L.'

Y Il isa Tishaped jam'plate. Itis of a thickf ness throughout enough less than the width of the slot 4 to insure free movement therein, and 56 ,fPA'vrEN- flf OFFICE- jam plate is arranged Within the slot I with its;

head I I in opposed relation tothe end of the slot s against which the wire is adapted to be clamped, and the opposedy/ire Iengaging faces' of said end and head arefdesir'ably V-shaped so as to exert@ a better hold upon the wires and center .them within the slot if they are of a diameter less than the width of the slot.

a retaining ring I5 of spring wire.

A sleeve nut I8 operates on Athe threadedpon@ A ferrule 22. inthe form' under discussion, the

last mentioned' end of the nut is closed.-and seing wings 20 near itsgtherend to facilitate turntion of the body I. It has va wrench receiving .portion I9 near one end, and oppositely extend-- ing of vlthe nut by land, A ""Ihe ends of the, head II of the jamfpla I0; where they extend ,be-

yond the sides of t end of the mit.l

Encirclingsaid 'en of the nut is' a ferrle 22'.. desirably of sheet metal, the same having an inturned ange 23'at' one endy that is engaged over the retaining ring I5'I`and is cut away at diametrically opposite points, as. indicated, at 24, for'the passage oi the endsfifA the. head Il. The other.

end of the ferrulevisf'peened inwardly, as shown at 25, so as to occupy a circumferential groove in the nut thereby toprovidea swivel connection between the nut and the jam plate. Asa consequence of this connection, which vmay properly be termed a swivel connection, thenut may be turned freely to feed it along the.. body .I and simultaneously move the jam plate longitudinally ofthe slot I. As the nut I8 is retracted, the tongue I2 of the jam plate is projected through the passageway 5, movement in this direction being limited by engagement of the ends of the head II with the parts 5 of thew body,the ele-' ments being shown in this position in Fig. 5. So

conditioned. the connector may be applied to'a line wire L and the nut turned to feedthe jam plate toward the wire engaging end of the slot l. If a single tap or service wire W is to bejoined to the line L, the nut maybe threaded along the body I until the head II of the jam plate is spaced a little more than the diameter of the wire from the line L, after which the wire W may be inserted through the slot 4 above the head of the jam plate and the nut I8 further turned to clamp said wire to the line. If it is necessary to screw the parts up more rmly than is possible by hand,

a wrench or other tool may be applied vto the portion I9 and the nut further turned to bind the parts iirmly together.. While I have shownonly two wires joined bythe connector, obviously any number maybe clamped together, within the capacity of the slot I above the side opening 8, allowance being made for a substantial thread engagement between the nut andl body above said opening.

The so-called "telephone type of connector;l illustrated in Figs. 7 to 11, is made up, essentially,

of the same elements as', or ones equivalent to,l those constituting the "power type, for which reason, and for easy reference, the corresponding parts of the two forms are designated by the same reference numerals augmented, in the case f.

of the telephone type, by the exponent a,

In -both forms, the nuts I8, -I8, vwith/the fer-miles 22, 22e, are suiciently long to enclose is a threaded stud or binding .post "3 0 .l` "1'his' stu' "1 maybe salvaged for subsequent use. The ends of the head II have transverse grooves lI3 for the reception oi' l n i :li e telephone" type connector, the nut I8* is provided with wings 20 and a wrench receiving portion: lill; Ithelatter being provided b`y flattened areas neartheend ofthenut' remote from the lcured to such end, desirably axially ofthe ,nut

'or posi een@ be. an. am tiene? cept fprthe desirability f making itof "a' differ preferably composed of a 'zin'calloy because 'ofthe fact that this portion of ythe dyicffisintended'," for mechanical and electrical connection' with fa line 'Wire-f1"y that. 1 S` Zn''flilvatd 0r evllvizii.. while the "tap or service. 'wire W' is 'of copper, and to, avoid undesirable y electrcly-tic action with 'ref sultant corrosion in thisre'gion, the binding post kor stud '30 is preferably made o fvbronze, brass` hers 3i and'nutj' or the like, as are also the was 32 that yare applied tothe stud or post.'

A feature of my improved connector thatdisvl ytinguishes it from all prior connectors of lthe v same class with which I am familiaris. the com,

stant or permanent thread engagement between l.

the'nut and body. This is very important, espe.. i

hereinbefore pointed out, lbecause it entirelyv 5f cially in view of the unfavorable conditions'under which the device frequently has .to be used, as

avoids the tedious task'or difilculty of having to properly engage the nut lwith the threads of the body, and entirely eliminatesV any possibility o f 5 'l crossing the threads and damaging theconnector by attemptingto forcibly screw. the parts together by means of a tool under such circumstances.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

f yI0 l. An electrical connector comprising a threaded body having a substantially diametrical, longitudinal slot, one end, of the slot constituting a wire engaging seat, the bodyhaving a sideopening spaced a substantial distance from said seat and intermediate theterminas of 1 its threaded portion, a jam platereciprocable inj the slot, and a'nut permanently engaged with and operable on the threaded portion of the body,`

said Jam plate having a swivel connection with, the'nut."

2. An electrical connector comprising a threaded body having a substantially diametri.

cal, longitudinalslot,y one end of the slot Acon- ',stituting a 'wire engaging seat, the body having a side opening spaced a substantial distancev from said seat and intermediate the terminals off' its threaded portion, a Jam plate reciprccable in the slotand having ,a head in opposed relation 'to the aforesaidfseat, fa nut permanently, en gaged'with and operableongthe 'threadedportion of the body, and a swiveiconnectio'n "net 'iiv'eeri'V` l the nut and the head of the jamplate. 3. electrical connecto'r].' licomprising a threaded body having a vsubstantially diametrical, longitudinal slot, one end o1' the slot constituting a wire engaging seat, the body having a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat and intermediate the terminalsof its threaded portion, a jam plate reciprocable in the slot and having a head in opposed relation to said seat, the ends of the head protruding beyond the opposite sides of the body, a nut permanently engaged withI and operable on the body, and means connecting the nut to the ends of the head while permitting rotation of the nut with respect to the jam'plate and body.

4. An electrical connector comprising a threaded body having a substantially diametri? cal, longitudinal slot, one end of the slot constituting a wire engaging seat, the body having a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat, a jam plate reciprocable in the slot and having a head in opposed relation 'to' the seat,'the-ends of the head protruding beyond the opposite sides of the body, a nut operable on the body against one end of which the aforesaid ends of the head bear, a ferrule sur-y rounding the body and having a swivel connection with the nut, and means forming an interlocking connection between the head of the jam Dlate and ferrule.

5. An electrical connector comprising a threaded body'having av substantially diametrical,

' longitudinal slot, one end of the slot constituting a wire engaging seat, the body having a side opening spaced a substantial `distance from said seat, a jam plate reciprocable in the slot, the same comprising a head that extends through said slot and beyond the opposite sides of the body and a tongue projecting from the head intermediate the ends thereof, the end of the body opposite said seat having a passageway for the accommodation of said tongue, the ends of the head having transverse grooves, a retaining ring surrounding the body and engaged within said grooves, a nut operable on the body and against one end of which the ends of said head bear, and a ferrule rotatably connected to said end of the nut and having an end ange engaged over said retaining ring, the ilange having diametrically opposed notches for the accommodation of the ends of the head.

6. An electrical connector comprising a I threaded body having a substantially diametrical,

longitudinal slot, one Aend of the slot constituting a wire engaging seat, the body having a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat, a jam plate reciprocable inthe slot, and a sleeve nut operable on the threaded body and being of -a length approximately equal to the length of the threaded portion of the body, and a swivel connection between the-nut and jam plate.

7. An electrical connector comprising a boltlike body having a head at one end and threaded throughout the remainder of its length, said body` having a substantially diametrical, longitudinal slot, one end of which' constitutes a wire engaging seat, the body being provided with a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat, a

jam plate reciprocable in the slot and including a head whose ends project from theslot on 'opposite sides of the body, a sleeve nut operable on the threaded portion of the body and against one end of which the ends of the jam plate head bear, a ferrule surrounding the body and swiveled to said end of the nut, and means operatively connecting the jam plate to the nut through the intervention of said ferrule', the aggregatelength of the sleeve nut and ferrule being approximately that of, they threaded .portion of the body.

8. An electrical connector' comprising a threaded body having a substantially diametrical, longitudinal slot, one end of the slot constituting a wire engaging seat, the body having a side yopening `spaced a substantial distance from said seat, a jam plate reciprocable in the slot, a sleeve nut operable on the threaded body, a swivel connection between the nut and jam plate, the nut including a tool receiving lportion and a portion shapedto facilitate turning of the nut by hand.

9. An electrical connector comprising a body threaded from near one end throughout the remainder of its length.' said body having a substantially dia-metrical, longitudinal slot, one end of which constitutes a wire engaging seat, the body being provided with a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat, a jam platereciprocable in the slot, a sleeve nut operable on said body and closed at its outer end, and a ,swivel connection between the inner end of the nut and the jam plate, the nut incorporating means for attaching an electrical conductor thereto.

l0. An electrical connector comprising a body threaded from near one end throughout theremainder of its length, said body having a substantially diametrical, longitudinal slot, one end of which constitutes a Wire engaging seat, the body being provided with a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat, a jam plate reciprocable in the slot, a sleeve nut operable on said body and closed at its outer end, a swivel connection between the inner end of the nut and the jam plate, and means for attaching an electrical` conductor to the nut, said means being of a different kind of metal from that of the remainder of the connector.

11. An electrical connector comprising-a boltlike body having a head at one end and threaded throughout the remainder of its length, said body having a lsubstantially diametrical, longitudinal slot,.one endl of which constitutes a wire engaging seat, the body being provided with a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat, ajam plate reciprocable in the slot, a sleeve nut operable on said body and closed at its outer' nut operable on said body and closed at its outer end, a swivel connection between the inner end of the nut and the jam plate, a binding post extending axially from the closed end of the nut,

and means for securing an electrical conductor to thel post.

13. 4An electrical connector comprisinga boltlike body having a head at one end and threaded throughout the remainder of its length, said body having a substantially diametrical, longitudinal slot, one end of which constitutes a wire engaging seat, the body being provided with a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat, a jam plate reciprocable in the slot, a sleeve nut operable on said body and closed at its outer'end,

-a swivel connection between the inner end of the nut and the jam plate, a binding post oi' a diil'erent kind of metal from that of the nut secured to the closed end of the nut and extending axially therefrom, and means for attaching an electrical conductor to the binding post.

14. An electrical connector comprising a boltlike body having a head at one end and being threaded throughout the remainder of its length, thebody having a substantially diametrical, longitudinal` slot, one end of which constitutes a wire engaging seat, the body having a side opening spaced a substantial distance from said seat and being provided with a passageway through its end remote from the head, a jam plate including a head that extends transversely through the slot and beyond the opposite sides of the body and a tongue extending from the head intermediate its ends and being adapted to project through the passageway in the end of the body, a sleeve nut operable on the body and closed at its outer end and having a circumferential groove adjacent its inner end, a ferrule surrounding the inner end of the nut and interlocking with said groove whereby the ferrule is swiveled to the nut, operative connections between the ferrule and the head of the jam plate whereby the ends of said head are held contiguous to the end of the nut, means for attaching a conductor to the nut,

the nut having means intermediate its ends to facilitate manual turning of the nut.

15. An electrical connector comprising a boltlike body having a head at one end and a thread throughout. the remainder of its length, the body slot, one end of which constitutes a wire-engaging seat, the body having a side opening spaced a substantial d istance from said seat and having also a passageway through its end remote from the head, a jam plate including a head that extends transversely through the slot and beyond the opposite sides of the body and a tongue extending from the head intermediate its ends arranged to project through the passageway in the c `end of the body, a sleeve nut operable on the 5 vhaving a substantially diametrical, longitudinal4 

